Growing up, I didn’t start getting into makeup until my freshman year of high school. Everyone would get ready for school after morning swim practice, and doing my makeup became part of my routine. While experimenting with makeup is super fun, I noticed that my skin was always irritated, especially when I took my makeup off. What works for me won’t work for everyone, but it might help a few people.
The first makeup remover that I used was more traditional, which really irritated my skin and ended up making it worse. After a few months of suffering, I started using Vaseline, which I used for the rest of high school. Vaseline was an improvement because it didn’t irritate my skin or make it sting, but it left me feeling greasy most of the time. I also had to use a lot of it to get everything, especially mascara, off my face at night. Long story short, it was a lot of effort with not a lot of payoff.
Over the summer, my friend encouraged me to try micellar cleansing water, and I found that it really works well for me. It doesn’t irritate my skin like the first makeup remover I used or leave it greasy like Vaseline did. It also removes my mascara much more efficiently. I actually feel like my skin is clean after I use it.
Since it took me a while to find a makeup remover that didn’t make my skin hurt, I am pretty used to not wearing makeup on the daily. I love to do my makeup when I go out and get dressed up, but I don’t normally wear it to class anymore. It’s made me realize that I don’t need to wear makeup to be successful because I notice absolutely nothing different when I’m wearing makeup versus when I’m not.
At the end of the day, whatever it takes for you to feel successful and happy is what you should do. If wearing makeup every day or not at all makes you feel good and empowered, then do what suits you. My experience with makeup removers helped me realize that things that work for one person might not work for me and vice versa. People might need to try multiple times or try multiple things until they find what works best for them. Even with something as trivial as makeup remover, it is important to never give up until you are satisfied with what you have.